1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a guitar and more particularly to a structure for attaching a neck to a guitar body particularly to a solid type electric guitar body.
2. Prior Art
Ordinarily, electric guitars are classified into two types according to differences in the structure of the guitar body: a solid type and a semi-acoustic type. The body of the solid type electric guitars is worked into a particular shape from, ordinarily, a single slab of wood; and such solid type electric guitars are further classified into two types. In one type, the body is completely solid as shown in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication (Kokoku) No. S55-36872. In another type, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication (Kokoku) No. S55-36872, a part of the guitar body is removed so that the guitar body has a hollow interior.
In semi-acoustic type guitars, the body is formed in the same manner as the resonating body of an acoustic guitar from outer plates (a front plate and a back plate) and side plates consisting of a wooden material. An example of this type of guitar is found in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication (Kokoku) No. S55-2460.
A conventional solid type electric guitar is shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.
In this prior art electric guitar 10, the guitar body is referred to by the reference numeral 1. The reference numeral 2 is a neck, 3 refers to strings, and 4 refers to tuning pegs. In addition, the reference numeral 5 is a tremolo mechanism, 6 refers to pickup units that convert the vibrations of the strings 3 into electrical signals, 7 is a tremolo arm, and 8 refers to knobs that for adjusting the sound volume, tone quality, etc.
The interior of the guitar body 1 is completely solid as seen from FIG. 3B. The heel portion 2A of the neck 2 is fastened to the center of the upper surface of the front-end part of the guitar body 1 by a plurality of fastening screws 11. The strings 3 ordinarily consist of six (or twelve) strings; and one end of each string 3 is anchored by being wound on one of the tuning pegs 4, while the other end of each string is anchored to the bridge base 12 of the tremolo mechanism 5.
In the neck attachment structure of this conventional electric guitar 10, as seen from FIG. 3B, a neck joining part 14 to which the heel portion 2A of the neck 2 of the guitar body 1 is joined comprises a receiving plate 15 and a recess 16. The heel portion 2A is engaged with the recess 16 and is fastened to the upper surface of the receiving plate 15 by a plurality of fastening screws 11.
However, in this neck attachment structure, the receiving plate 15 must be formed long so as to increase the strength of the connection between the guitar body 1 and the neck 2. As a result, the length L of the heel portion 2A of the neck 2 is inevitably long also, having the same length as the receiving plate 15. Thus, playing is difficult when the guitar is played by pressing the portions of the strings that are close to the guitar body 1.
More specifically, the neck 2 is formed so that the thickness and width of the heel portion 2A are the greatest in order to ensure sufficient strength, and the neck 2 gradually becomes more slender toward the head 2B. Accordingly, a player who has small hands and short fingers cannot sufficiently reach the strings 3, and the strings 3 are not accurately pressed. This is significant when playing in a high position, i.e., when the player grips the area near the heel portion 2A with his hand and plays the strings near the heel portion 2A with fingers of such hand gripping the heel portion.
The above neck attachment structure has further problems. The joined area of the heel portion 2A of the neck 2 and the upper surface 1a of the guitar body is visible. Since the pickup units 6 are fitted in attachment holes 17 formed in the upper surface 1a of the guitar body 1 and fastened by screws, these screws are exposed at the upper surface 1a of the guitar body 1 and are thus visible to the player. Thus, the external appearance is spoiled.
Furthermore, prior art electric guitars includes balance springs 18. The balance springs 18 apply a rotational moment, which is oriented in the opposite direction from the rotational moment created by the tension of the strings 3, to the bridge base 12 of the tremolo mechanism 5. One end of each balance spring 18 is connected to the bridge base 12 and another end to the guitar body 1 as best seen from FIG. 3B. When the string vibrations that transmitted to the tremolo mechanism 5 (among the vibrations of the strings 3 generated during playing) are further transmitted to the neck 2 via the guitar body 1, a vibration transmission loss occurs between the guitar body 1 and the neck 2. As a result, a good sound volume and tone quality is not obtained.
Accordingly, the present invention is to solve the above-described conventional problems.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a guitar neck attachment structure that improves playability in a high position, improves the sound volume and tone quality, etc., and also provides a clean external appearance.
The above object is accomplished by a unique structure for an attachment structure for attaching a guitar neck to a guitar body, and in the present invention, the neck has a connecting plate at its heel portion, and this connecting plate is fastened to the underside of the guitar body.
In this structure, since the connecting plate disposed on the heel portion of the neck is fastened to the underside of the guitar body, there is no need to form a large recess in the upper surface or in the front of the guitar body for accommodating the heel portion.
In addition, in the present invention, the guitar body is a solid type body, and a recess for attaching the connecting plate of the neck therein is formed in the underside of the guitar body so that the connecting plate of the neck engages with the recess.
Accordingly, the connecting plate is engaged with the recess that is for attaching the neck, and it is prevented from protruding from the underside of the guitar body.
Furthermore, in the present invention, a tremolo mechanism is provided on an upper surface of the guitar body so that it positionally corresponds to the connecting plate of the neck, and a balance spring connected at its one end thereof to the tremolo mechanism is connected at another end thereof to the connecting plate.
Accordingly, with this structure, the string vibrations transmitted to the tremolo mechanism is further transmitted to the neck directly via the balance spring.
In addition, in the present invention, pickup units are installed on the upper or front surface of the guitar body from the underside or from the back of the guitar body, so that the pickup units are positioned so as to correspond to the connecting plate of the neck.
In this structure, since the pickup units are mounted from the underside or from the back of the guitar body, the fastening screws are screwed in from the back so as not to be seen from the front.